David Schiefelbein: The ghosts of Black and Gold

Friday

Nov 23, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 23, 2007 at 10:18 PM

I used to work for a guy who would have been on pins and needles this week. While he might have been accused of being a workaholic in his day, he’d have had a hard time concentrating on anything but the big game at Arrowhead this weekend.

David Schiefelbein

I used to work for a guy who would have been on pins and needles this week. While he might have been accused of being a workaholic in his day, he’d have had a hard time concentrating on anything but the big game at Arrowhead this weekend.

He’d have chuckled that Kansas could have had homefield advantage for a top-5 Big 12 showdown but passed on the chance in favor of the opportunity to sell more tickets in Kansas City.

“The Jayhawks would never have counted on having a good team on the field, so they sold out so Missouri would sell some tickets for them in Kansas City,” he would have laughed with delight.

Tom Turner bled Black and Gold long before he left Mizzou to come to Lake of the Ozarks and build publications.

While he never looked back, he often went back. Through seasons mediocre and bad, occasionally only showing glimpses of promises only to see the talent graduate. As a lifelong Green Bay Packer and Chicago Cubs fan, I could empathize.

When Missouri hired Gary Pinkel away from Toledo, he asked how I thought he would do. I understated the obvious - it would take awhile to build the program. Tom was convinced the coach could do the job, if he lasted long enough.

I believe he did.

The 2007 season was the one Tom dreamed of, heading into the final week of the schedule ranked No.3 or 4 in the country, depending on which poll you checked.

A chance to play for the trip to the Big 12 championship AND the BCS championship would have been almost too much.

Almost.

And there would be more.

Tom would have loved to discuss the possibilities of a Missouri quarterback clawing his way into consideration for the Heisman Trophy, college football’s highest acclaim.

Tiger QB Chase Daniels has vaulted from Midwest nobody to the upper tier of promising candidates. Kansas QB Todd Reesing has started to attract some attention as well for the 11-0 Jayhawks.

Adding to the drama is the long-running rivalry - known with fondness as The Border War. The all-time series between Missouri and Kansas is tied at 53-53-9.

Inevitably, there would have been a history lesson for me this week as well.

“Dan Devine never did much for the Green Bay Packers,” I’d tell him.

“That’s because he never should have left Missouri,” Tom would shoot back.

Tom loved to reminisce about Devine’s Tigers and his own glory days around the Columbia campus.

Another legendary coach in his own right left Missouri after the 1957 season when Frank Broyles moved south.

Mizzou interviewed just one coach – Devine – who had success (27-3-1) with an innovative offense at Arizona State in which he combined elements of the Wing-T, the Single Wing, the Double Wing and something he called the Flank offense.

Devine led the Tigers to the Orange Bowl in his second season, and in 1960, the Tigers won the Big Eight title and scored an Orange Bowl win over Navy.

It was a landmark win in that it was the school’s first-ever bowl victory.

He spent 10 more seasons at Missouri and won three of four bowl appearances with the Tigers. In 13 seasons, Devine compiled a 93-37-1 record at Missouri.

As a pro coach, he actually won almost as many games as he lost at Green Bay (25-28-1) from 1971-74.

He went back to the collegiate ranks at Notre Dame (53-16-1) from ‘75-80. Devine coached NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana (San Francisco, Kansas City) as Notre Dame, who led the Fightin’ Irish to a national championship when they beat previously undefeated Texas, led by running back Earl Campbell, 38-10 in the ‘78 Cotton Bowl.

Devine finished his career as a college coach 173-56-3.

Tom would ask me if I thought Pinkel would leave a legacy like that at Mizzou.

The jury’s still out on that one, but if he keeps winning, he won’t be asked to leave, I’d say.

Pinkel has turned out to be the coach Tom waited for to lead his Tigers to glory.

Cancer caught him last year, robbing Tom of the opportunity to sit in the Arrowhead stands this weekend.

He’d be proud to know one of his newsroom associates – a Mizzou grad, nonetheless – will be there in the stands cheering on the Tigers.

Tom will be there, too, I have no doubt, dressed in Black and Gold astride the motorcycle they handed him to ride across the skies.

There’s no doubt this week he’d have Mizzou pennants flapping in the wind along the handlebars.

I somehow think he’s not alone there. The ghosts of autumn’s past return every season. This one’s just been extra special.

The game begins at 7 p.m. CST on the ABC network.

Enjoy the kickoff, Tom.

Contact the writer at editor@lakesunleader.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.